Each month the Lucas PTO is featuring a teacher or staff member on the Mighty Hawk Messenger blog. This month we spoke with nine year ICCSD veteran school nurse Suzi Wilkes.
Other posts in this series:
Where did you go to nursing school? How
long have you been a nurse?
I went to the
University of Iowa’s College of Nursing and graduated in December 1996 with my
Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I have been working as a nurse in pediatrics
ever since. I have worked in the hospital setting and at Pediatric Associates
prior to working for the Iowa City Community School District as a school nurse.
Do you work anywhere else besides Lucas?
I spend a lot of
my afternoons at Lucas, but I also cover three other buildings. I see students at
Shimek Elementary, Mann Elementary, Lucas Elementary, and South East Junior
High. That is a total of 1757 students in four buildings! Although, the vast
majority of them rarely or never come to the health office for any health needs,
it definitely keeps me busy.
Oh wow! Do you have any children in Iowa City
schools? How old are they?
I have two of my
own students in ICCSD: a 5th grade daughter at Shimek Elementary and
an 8th grade son at South East Junior High.
What made you decide to become a nurse?
I wasn’t sure
what I wanted to be when I started college at University of Iowa. I initially
was a psychology major, but decided that I liked the more concrete scientific study
of nursing. I have always enjoyed children and taking care of people so
pediatric nursing seemed like the right path for me.
When I think of school nurses, I tend to
think of slapping bandaids and ice packs on boo-boos. I’m guessing it’s more
involved than that! Would you describe a little about what you do?
Essentially, my
job is to help remove health related barriers to learning. Our goal is to keep our students healthy
enough to participate in learning and no two days are ever the same.
Although
bandaids and icepacks cure the vast majority of ailments that come to the
health office, there are also complex health concerns that involve more medical
care and planning throughout the day. The school nurses are responsible for preparing
emergency plans for students with asthma, allergies, and seizures, and for writing
more detailed health plans for students with complex health needs like diabetes
or other significant disabilities that may include mobility and/or communication
that require adult assistance. This includes staff trainings and in-services, attending
IEP meetings, and communication with school staff, parents, and health care
professionals to make sure that student’s health needs are met during their
school day. Of course, part of my job is to help with medication management and
responding to emergency medical situations in my buildings – both students and
staff at times.
The school
nurses are also responsible for obtaining paperwork required by the state for
school attendance - including immunizations, dental certificates, vision
screening certificates, and lead screening data. Keeping up with all of the
legislative changes and tracking down the paperwork requirements is a full time
job in itself!
There has been a lot of public talk
lately about preventative care vs. curative care. As a medical professional
working in a community setting, do you see your role as more preventative? Or
curative? Or both?
I would say
both. Certainly the required paperwork for the state is more of a preventative
measure, but the day to day health office visits are not. It would be great if
I could spend even more of my time working on preventative care as this is very
important to me. I strongly believe in taking good care of ourselves by eating
right, getting enough sleep, and being physically active. I rarely miss the
opportunity to talk to students about using seatbelts and wearing helmets if
riding bikes comes up in conversation. I also try to set a good example for the
students by practicing what I preach.
What are some of the most important
things parents can do to support good health in their children?
Aside from the three big ones that I
mentioned above (nutrition, sleep, and exercise), I think it is also important
to get regular checkups and immunizations, make education a priority, and spend
time together.
What’s the craziest question a student
has ever asked you?
Lots of funny
things students have done, but I cannot come up with a question that has been
asked… aside from one student asking if I was Mrs. Turnis. :)
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